Loose Lips Sink Ships

$7,800.00

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48" x 48" Oil On Board

A contemporary re-working of a World War II propaganda poster, Loose Lips, is a playful and graphic painting. Like many of Ryan’s other works, the subject matter stems from elements of Americana, often to include famous signs and expressions or militaristic symbolism. The American idiom “Loose Lips Sink Ships” originated during the War and was created by the War Advertising Council. The United States Office of War Information marketed the phrase by including it on posters in an effort to dissuade servicemen and average citizens to engage in careless discussion of secure information that could potentially be shared with German spies and lead to the sinking of Allied Uboats. The most famous poster that popularized the phrase was created for the Seagrams Distillers Corporation by the designer Seymour R. Goff (also known by the pseudonym “Ess-ar-gee” or Essargee). Many countries involved in the War had their own equivalent expression, with the British saying— “Careless Talk Costs Lives.” Ryan’s treatment of the color and form, including the block letters, monotone color palette splashed with sections of red and the silhouetted shapes are reminiscent of old War signs and posters. Additionally, the key expression is featured dominantly, as is a rendering of a ship at sea. While the work directly refers to a moment in history, it seems all too appropriate today. In many ways the themes in the painting parallel the reality of some aspects of American politics, specifically the often rife relationship the government seems to have with the media and its citizens at large, and the growing skepticism and even distrust some citizens have in their government.